Candy for all the senses

Rating: 6/10 (20 August 2005)

"Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor)" and "Jordan Two Delta" (Scarlett Johansson) are living in a huge city complex. They know each other as friends but nothing more. Everything is monitored and nobody cares about the fundamental and existential questions in life. Nobody except Lincoln Six Echo. He starts to sense that something is wrong and when his friend Jordan Two Delta is suddenly in danger, a larger conspiracy is unraveled.
Nothing in the plot or the story is original and there are no plot-twists to surprise you along the way. However, even though the story is far out, it's well told and works as solid foundation for the other parts of the movie. The themes of the story have all been told before, but this is not a movie you see because you want to broaden your horizon. You see this movie to get some action.
In their quest to reveal the truth McGregor and Johansson have to escape a lot of nasty people, and they usually do it in quite a spectacular manner. The action scenes are both good and bad. On the plus side is their sheer intensity and scale. Tonnes of hardware and people are destroyed or molested in the most fantastic ways. On the down side is the confusion of the action scenes. The camera is literally thrown around in the air, making it impossible to see what's going on. Maybee I'm just old, but sometimes it's nice with a static camera that leaves room for the well-choreographed action scene. To sum it all up however, the action scenes are decent and worth the money.
The style of the movie is very polished and full of candy for all the senses. Michael Bay has a way of combining beautifully shot scenes (some slow motion) with voluptuous sound and music, in an almost vulgar fashion. It's the Michael Bay trait and people who have seen The Rock or Armageddon will recognize it. It's his style and if you don't like it, don't see this movie. Personally I loved it! When you see the movie, also take notice of all the good looking women. There isn't a single ugly woman in this movie. Scarlett Johansson is no exception. She is a Goddess. Everything in this movie is meant to look good.
To sum it all up: The Island isn't original in any way, and the story won't challenge you intellectually. The level of suspense is enough to keep you interested. The action is good. There is some humor. Last but not least it has the classic Michael Bay look and feel. It's slightly above average. It's worth the ticket, and you'll enjoy it as long as it lasts, but when you wake up the next morning, you'll have forgotten all about it.